The latest Google Keep update is breaking a key feature for Wear OS users
The latest update forces voice interaction for setting tasks.
If you rely on your smartwatch to keep your life organized, Google’s latest update might throw a wrench in your workflow. While moving reminders from Keep to Google Tasks works decent enough on phones, the transition has stripped the Google Keep app on Wear OS of the ability to create reminders entirely.
We have known for a while that Google is migrating reminders out of Keep and into Google Tasks. On your iPhone, Android, or the web, this is a pretty straightforward process. You lose location-based reminders, but the rest of the functionality remains intact. However, a new report highlights that the experience on Wear OS is taking a significant hit.
Previously, you could scroll to the bottom of a note on your watch, tap a bell icon, and set a reminder right there on your wrist. That option is now gone. The bell icon has disappeared, leaving you only with the options to pin or archive the note.
If you have notes that already have tasks attached to them, they will still show a small icon on the main feed to let you know a deadline is coming up. But there is a bit of a bug here too. When you tap to open that note, it takes a surprisingly long time for the actual day and date of the reminder to load on the screen.
It seems like Google is pushing us to use Gemini and its Tasks integration to set reminders going forward. While the AI integration works well, forcing users to use voice commands for a simple interaction isn't ideal. Not everyone wants to talk to their wrist in the middle of a meeting just to set a reminder.
In my opinion, this change highlights a recurring issue with Wear OS: the lack of a standalone Google Tasks app. The current Tasks "Tile" (widget) is far too basic, as it limits you to seeing only the items that have a specific date assigned to them.
Google Keep on your watch just lost a key feature
We have known for a while that Google is migrating reminders out of Keep and into Google Tasks. On your iPhone, Android, or the web, this is a pretty straightforward process. You lose location-based reminders, but the rest of the functionality remains intact. However, a new report highlights that the experience on Wear OS is taking a significant hit.
If you have notes that already have tasks attached to them, they will still show a small icon on the main feed to let you know a deadline is coming up. But there is a bit of a bug here too. When you tap to open that note, it takes a surprisingly long time for the actual day and date of the reminder to load on the screen.
Why this makes using your watch harder
Old vs. new Google Keep note view on Wear OS. | Images credit — 9to5Google
It is a bit baffling that Google would remove the ability to set tasks on the watch app while keeping it on the mobile app. Being able to add a deadline to a note is a fundamental feature for a productivity app.
It seems like Google is pushing us to use Gemini and its Tasks integration to set reminders going forward. While the AI integration works well, forcing users to use voice commands for a simple interaction isn't ideal. Not everyone wants to talk to their wrist in the middle of a meeting just to set a reminder.
If Google is permanently removing this from Keep, other apps need to step up. The Google Calendar app on Wear OS is currently very bare-bones. It desperately needs an update that allows you to create reminders and events manually. Currently, it is just a simple agenda view, and we don't even have a proper month view to browse through.
We need a dedicated Tasks app on Wear OS
In my opinion, this change highlights a recurring issue with Wear OS: the lack of a standalone Google Tasks app. The current Tasks "Tile" (widget) is far too basic, as it limits you to seeing only the items that have a specific date assigned to them.
Until that happens, or until the Calendar app gets a major overhaul, removing features from Keep feels like a punishment for smartwatch users. I use my watch when I'm in work focus mode to stay away from using my phone, but updates like this force me to take my phone off the charger just to get simple things done.
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